31 weeks down, 9 to go

Well, this almost seems to be getting routine, my weekly or not so weekly posts. Kai is now just over 16 inches long, according to Baby Center (I personally think the kid is already the length of a decent size small forward) and weighs about 3.3 pounds. This apparently the weight of 4 navel oranges. Wait a second...how'd we go from a single fruit to suddenly four? Did my kid divide and multiply?? I certainly hope not! I only have room for one right now!

He is now heading into a growth spurt, one of many in his life if he is anything like daddy. He is going through major brain and nerve developments as he prepares for birth. His irises now react to light and all five senses are in working order, except he won't be smelling anything until after he is born. That's something to think about. How do they know all five senses are in working order? How do you test that in the womb? I had a friend born without a sense of smell, actually friend and former roommate. So how do they know that they all work if you can't test them out? Weird...

Kai can turn his little head from side to side and he is starting to pack on the fat underneath his skin. They say that the baby grows the most in these last few weeks (something I know Lisa isn't entirely thankful for!). He is doing less and less kicking and more and more stretching as his space inside his fishbowl gets smaller and smaller. He is getting more pink in color as opposed to red in color (once again, how can you tell if he is in the womb still?) They say he won't start dropping for another few weeks, but he definitely has! It's rather obvious that he's dropped, especially when Lisa lies down and you see a massive bump under her belly button. The plus side is she can breath better and doesn't fight heartburn as much and the negative is that she has to pee a whole lot more! Oh well.

Lisa is definitely done with pregnancy, tired of feeling so huge, hot, tired, etc. I'm semi-ready for him to get here, but not completely. There are some days I'm soooo excited and can't wait and then there are days that I'm in total freak out mode. It is getting more and more real the closer we get and I'm not entirely sure I'm ready to be a daddy. I want to be one, but ready, well, we'll see once he gets here. We crossed the whole point of no return thing about 8 months ago, so I don't really have a choice. It's interesting because my whole life I've wanted a family and looked forward to being a dad. Now that it is becoming a reality, I'm not sure I'm cut out for this. It scares me to think that from this point on I will ALWAYS be a dad! That will never change. Scary!

Another thing I've noticed is that time has started doing that weird a-day-seems-like-a-thousand-years thing that it does right before vacations and any holiday that brings gifts. Even though we've gone through 31 weeks of pregnancy and they seem to have gone so fast, this last few weeks have started to cccccrrrrraaaaawwwwwwllllll. Please Kai, hurry up and get here! I'm ready to be done with the waiting. Honestly, if those of you out there reading want to help us pray, we're praying that he comes a little early. Not premie, but that he is done developing early and comes. I don't wanna wait for a late baby!

Anyway, that's about all I have to say about that. More once week 32 gets here!

Week 30

HOORAY FOR WEEK 30! Lisa finally got some new maternity clothes! We were able to make a trip to the US to spend time with family and hold a couple baby showers for Kai, and as an added bonus, Lisa could buy more clothes that fit. Therefore, in this picture, you see the new and improved prego Lisa! YAY!!

Kai is now about 15.7-16 inches long and weighs about 3 pounds, according to Baby Center, which is about the size of a head of lettuce or a squash. He is definitely getting bigger and running out of room fast! There is about a pint and a half of amniotic fluid around him, but that steadily gets smaller and smaller as he grows. His eyesight is developing, but will take some time for it to be developed completely. He will only have about 20/400 eyesight when born, meaning he can only see things a few inches from his face. Kinda funny that we are born with poor eyesight and many of us return to poor eyesight as we get older. =) He is also getting stronger and can now actually grasp a finger pretty firmly. Not sure how they would test that, I guess with a premie or something.

We go in 2 weeks to see him again and it seems like FOREVER since we last saw his little face. I miss seeing him and if I was rich like Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, I'd buy my own machine and hire a technician to do daily ultrasounds. Oh well....lifestyles of the rich and famous.

Lisa is now passing into the most uncomfortable time of pregnancy, in the third trimester. She has heartburn almost daily, which gets worse in the evening causing her not to sleep. She has to use the restroom about every 30-45 minutes, sometimes sooner, which also means she has to cut herself off from drinking at 6 pm. She doesn't sleep well, can't walk around much, etc. It really makes for a fun time! It is a very common occurrence for her to use the restroom right before we leave and then right as we go down the street from home I hear, "Ummm...I need to use the bathroom again." If that kid could leaver her bladder alone, life would be so much easier. =) I think this is all just preparation for actually having a child, because we have scoped out and know where all the bathrooms are in each department store, gas station, pharmacy, etc. Oh well, such is life.

Lisa also can't really do a whole lot of walking around, which we have noticed as we go shopping. We took a trip to Disney for our 3rd anniversary and after a couple hours of walking around, she overheated and got way too tired, which is understandable as it was like a million degrees outside. So, instead of leaving and cutting our anniversary celebration short, I got her a chair and pushed around the park. You know you have hit the hard stage of pregnancy when you gotta ride a wheelchair around a theme park. I think she may have felt a little embarrassed, but it actually made it easier for her and got us some special treatment at the park, something I was thankful for. =)

So, enough of week 30. Week 31 coming soon! Less than 70 days left!

Week 29 - 76 Days left!!!! I'm so excited!!!!!!!

76 DAYS!!! Sweet Fancy Moses we're getting close! I can't wait to be a daddy. I honestly think that every single day goes by like an eternity. We are currently in the states visiting family, having baby showers, etc. and it is getting so exciting, but the days have come to a screeching halt. I'm so ready for him to get here so we can see him, hold him, touch him, play with him, etc. but time is no longer flying because I'm so ready. It's like the old saying goes, "A watched pot never boils;" a watched tummy, gives birth to no baby! AAAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!

On another note, all this buying baby stuff (which by the way makes me freak out about money) makes the whole pregnancy thing is so much more exciting and real. We have clothes, bottles, bags, toys, teethers, and so many other thing, but we're buying it all at the same time. Typically, people will buy this junk a little at a time, but we get to buy it all at the same time AND buy maternity clothes AND buy stuff we need. Thank you Jesus that you provide! =)

So, Kai is now about 2.5 - 3 pounds, according to Baby Center, and is now over 15 inches long. He is officially the size of a Butternut Squash. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. Really, this part of pregnancy isn't all that exciting. He's getting fatter, filling out, fine tuning the development process, etc. Nothing new is happening, no new limbs are sprouting (at least we hope not!), no extra nubbins, no more toes, nada, zip, zilch. Everything is in place and preparing itself for life outside the womb.

Due to his rapid growth and weight gain, Kai is now filling the space in that little sac of fluid. He dropped yesterday and now sits lower, which Lisa is thankful for. He is still every bit as active, but it is obvious that he is cramped. You can now feel him on all sides at the same time and if you press on one side, you see him bulge on the other. =) It's kinda cute, not gonna lie.

This whole process has been long and exciting and we are so ready for little Kai to get here. I can't wait to see his cute little face and hold him for the first time. Just 2 1/2 months left!!!